Naomi Striemer finds success on both sides of the border

With an aborted major-label record contract and a collaboration with Carlos Santana under her belt, Naomi Striemer has been steadily working away at building her music career in Canada and the US.

Having signed a major label deal with Sony Music at the age of 18, her aspirations of major label stardom would temporarily come crashing down around her. Just two weeks prior to her record’s release, Striemer’s album was permanently shelved when many of Sony’s key staff would be let go in a major company restructuring.

Born in New York State but raised in Nova Scotia, Striemer loves the life of an independent musician and as such, is undertaking a rather extensive tour of the Maritimes. She has been making appearances at various events in the region over the past week and will be wrapping up her visit to the Maritimes with a full-length concert performance at Moncton`s Capitol Theatre on Saturday, Dec. 12. The show will be a mix of holiday standards combined with Striemer’s original material.

Striemer’s newest record, The Green Album, was released independently by the artist and for a time this past summer, had the distinction of being the #1 album on the Puretracks Music Service. But even though Striemer’s latest studio record is barely six months old, she already has not one but two completely separate albums on the go at the present time.

The first record she is crafting with Grammy-award winning producer Narada Michael Walden who has also worked with artists including Wynonna Judd, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.

“The album that I am in the process of making with Narada is the one that is probably more along the lines from what people might expect to hear from me,” Striemer admits. “This record will have a little more vocal padding than my last record and overall, the sound will be a lot more contemporary.

“I consider The Green Album to be a little more of a rock record where this new one is more in the pop-rock vein. It is actually the first Christian album that I am making with Narada’s help.”

Striemer says the other project on the go is more in the vein of an independent “alternative” project which she is creating with British producer Paul Simms.

An official dual citizen of the US and Canada, Striemer calls Los Angeles home these days but it doesn’t stop her from frequently crossing the border to play shows on both sides of the 49th parallel.

“I take full advantage of that!” she laughs. “You hear of so many horror stories about musicians crossing the border and I am lucky enough that I don’t have to worry about that aspect in the least.”

For more information on Striemer, visit her website at www.naomistriemer.org where you can also pick up a free download of her covering the John Lennon holiday classic, Happy Christmas (War Is Over).